


Free

by Nomme_dePlume



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Kurama POV, Old!Naruto, One Shot, Post-Chapter 700
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-04 23:43:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11001471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nomme_dePlume/pseuds/Nomme_dePlume
Summary: “Now,” he said sadly, “It’s time to say goodbye.”





	Free

Kurama stared at the figure before him, the man’s back still straight and broad, despite his age, that he could clearly see the ‘Nanadaime Hokage’ along the back of the long, white jacket. The short-cut hair was no longer a vibrant blond, but a muted gray that reminded Kurama of the last man he’d ever been this close to. They were so similar, and despite knowing that this day would come eventually, it was just as painful as _that_ day so many, many years ago.

“Kurama,” the man said softly; he’d long ago lost most of his physical strength, but his voice was still strong and deep, a comfort to Kurama as he shifted his large body forward and laid down next to his jinchūriki. A wrinkled hand slowly lifted and settled against his cheek, stroking his fur lightly. The man turned his head and gazed at Kurama fondly with blue eyes that had not dulled over the many years. “Let’s call our friends together so I can say goodbye.”

Kurama growled softly. “You shouldn’t try to go so deep into the bijuu plane at your age, Naruto.”

Naruto smiled at him, a dim echo of the cheeky grin of his youth, but happy all the same. “This will be the last time, Kurama.”

Kurama dismissed the statement with a soft sound and turned his gaze away. Instantly, he and Naruto were within that realm where all of the bijuu could congregate and speak. As the seconds ticked by, the others joined them, until all nine of them surrounded Naruto, who proceeded to greet each in turn.

“Shukaku, I hope you haven’t been causing too much trouble!” The damn tanuki started screeching as Naruto laughed, and Kurama threatened to eat him if he didn’t knock it off.

“Matatabi,” Naruto said as he turned to the fiery feline. She bowed slightly and returned with a soft, “Naruto-kun.”

“Isobu!” Naruto grinned at the three-tailed bijuu, who happily greeted him back.

Naruto gravely turned to the baka saru and bowed low. “Handsome Monkey King of Suirendo and King of Sage Monkeys, bestowed with the priestly title ‘Son’ by the Sage of Six Paths—the Great Monkey Equal of Heaven, Son Gokū,” he greeted solemnly, though his lips twitched with the desire to smile.

“You are the only one besides the Sage of Six Paths to greet me properly, Naruto,” Son Gokū returned.

Chuckling, Naruto turned to the five- and six-tailed bijuu. “Kokuō, Saiken.” Then he turned to the seven- and eight-tailed bijuu. “Chōmei, Gyūki.” He smiled sadly at Gyūki. “How have you been without Bee-no-occhan?”

“Out of all of my jinchūriki, Bee was the only one I could call ‘friend.’ I miss him,” Gyūki relayed sadly. Naruto placed his hand on one of his tentacles and murmured that he felt the same. After a moment, he looked up and around at all of the bijuu.

“Kurama and I greet you all,” he said, and Kurama made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat, which Naruto ignored as he continued, “And I thank you all for gathering here.”

"You carry our chakra within you, Naruto-kun," Matatabi purred. “We will always come when you call.”

Naruto hummed at that. “There is no easy way to say this, but I’ve asked you all here to say my goodbyes.” None of the bijuu made a sound at the statement. Naruto’s lips curved in a slight smile. “I can imagine, with how long you have already existed, and with how much longer you will exist, this day has not come as a surprise.”

He looked off to the side, and despite their many years together, not even Kurama could guess at what he might be seeing in the distance.

“I have outlived many of my friends and comrades,” he said quietly. “Even my children are to an age where they can think about retiring from active duty. Maybe because I am a jinchūriki. They do say that Uzumaki Mito far outlived the first Hokage.” 

He shook himself from his sad thoughts and returned his gaze to the gathered bijuu. “Before I go, I would like to give you all a gift, in repayment for that which you all gave me during the war so many years ago.”

He held out his right fist, the one that had been replaced by the old woman using Hashirama’s cells, which had, over time, allowed Naruto to increase his own strength and techniques. Kurama watched as each of his fellow bijuu extended an appendage and stacked them atop Naruto’s fist, a mirror image from when this had happened the first time. He felt it as Naruto’s chakra was transmitted into each of them and watched as a tiny seal formed on each.

“What did you just do, Naruto?” Gyūki asked as he brought his tentacle before his face.

“Ever since the war, I have been studying the old scrolls from Uzushiogakure that Orochimaru had collected over the years. My father had studied with my grandmother in order to create one of the strongest seals ever, which he used to seal Kurama in me, and I thought…” He trailed off, looking down at his right hand.

“I promised you all freedom and that I would protect that freedom, always. But I’m about to die and can no longer physically keep that promise.” He clenched his fist and looked up at the bijuu.

“Sasuke and I are the most recent reincarnates of Indra and Asura, whose chakra has traveled through generations, seeking a conclusion to their long-ago battle. And I believe Sasuke and I have laid that battle to rest after so long.” He paused before continuing, “But I could be wrong.”

Kurama silently acknowledged that as he thought about all of the Uchiha clan’s history since the death of Indra. The Uchiha brat that had caused Naruto so much pain had only had one child, but who was to say the cursed clan wouldn’t proliferate to its former glory in the future? Then Kurama thought about all of the people over the many years who had sought to control his power who weren’t Uchiha.

“I don’t know that Asura or Indra will ever incarnate again. I don’t even know if Sasuke or I will, despite the powers we have. But someone down the line could come to think like Madara again. Or someone could want to unleash Kaguya again. And I won’t be here to stop them.” Naruto placed his clenched fist over his heart and closed his eyes. “I studied the scrolls and created this reverse seal with my chakra. Like my father’s teleportation seal, this seal will never disappear. And as long as it is on each of you…” Naruto opened his eyes that suddenly seemed cold and deadly, “No one will ever be able to seal you away again.”

Silence greeted his statement, but Kurama could see the surprise and shock on each of his fellow bijuu’s faces. He slowly stood up and regarded them solemnly.

“Old Man Six Paths gave us life and individuality, but in his belief that his eldest brat would cooperate with his heir, did not think that we would ever come to harm.” He looked down at Naruto. “And despite his naïve way of looking at the world, Naruto is worried for our safety.” Naruto made a face at him, a brief glimpse of the boy he used to be, and Kurama pulled his lips back to reveal a toothy smile. “They are so alike and yet, so very different.”

“Indeed,” Gokū said as he gazed down at Naruto’s seal. “But Naruto, what if someone learns of a way to counter this seal?” 

That baka saru, Kurama thought as he eyed him. No matter that he had made friends with Naruto, he would never trust humans.

Naruto laughed. “Well, despite what some people believe,” Naruto paused and mumbled something under his breath, which Kurama rather thought sounded like “stuck up bastard,” “I can also plan ahead. The reverse seal is imbued with my chakra, but also with Kurama’s.” Naruto stopped and placed a hand on his chin, his fingers rubbing it in thought. “Um, it’s a little hard to explain, but as long as Kurama exists on this plane, the seal will never be undone.”

“This is a great gift, Naruto-kun,” Kokuō said softly, and she bowed her head in gratitude. The others followed, and Naruto returned their bow with one of his own.

“Now,” he said sadly, “It’s time to say goodbye.”

Kurama watched as Naruto walked up to each of them in turn and whispered his goodbyes and his wishes for their happiness, and once he had finished with Gyūki, they all disappeared. Naruto turned to Kurama and gave him a watery smile, and they also returned to Naruto’s psyche.

Kurama settled back down beside Naruto, who sat down and leaned against his paw.

“What do you think is waiting for me on the other side, Kurama?”

“How should I know? I am pure chakra, Naruto, and do not die.” He growled as Naruto made a skeptical noise. “You have all of the bijuu chakra within you, Naruto, just like Old Man Six Paths. Perhaps you can transcend time like him and watch over future generations.”

Naruto smiled at the thought, but it seemed tinged with sadness. “So, I wouldn’t be able to see my friends?” He looked down at his hands that were folded in his lap. “I was sort of looking forward to seeing Sasuke again.”

Kurama scoffed. “You’d rather see that prick than your wife?”

Naruto sputtered and blushed. “Of course I’d like to see my wife! But—” He cut himself off, though the blush remained. “I loved Hinata very much, but Sasuke… he was literally my other half.”

Kurama grunted. It actually wasn’t far from the truth. They were both the reincarnates that shared the power to stop the cataclysm. But Kurama had a feeling Naruto wasn’t talking about that. He’d been inside Naruto for a long time, and he knew things that Naruto didn’t always know himself. Maybe this time, Naruto knew it, too.

Naruto sighed. “Sasuke _was_ my first kiss, you know.”

“I know,” Kurama chuckled, thinking back to when the bijuu and their jinchūriki all told Naruto their names.

“And… Sasuke was my last kiss.”

“I know that, too,” Kurama said quietly. Naruto’s comrades had died one after the other over the years, Sasuke being the last. That had been… a very long time ago, in human years, and Naruto had kept to himself ever since, only allowing his children close, though he was still friendly with everyone. Kurama remembered that day very well, as it had been the closest Naruto had ever come to actually… giving up.

“You know, Kurama, we may not have always gotten along, but you’ve been there with me since the very beginning. And I wanted to thank you for that.” Naruto stood and stepped over to Kurama’s neck, placing his arms around as much as he could and hugging him tight. “I’ve always, in the back of my mind, felt guilty that you had to stay inside me while the others were free. But now, I can give you your freedom.”

Kurama felt… an immense sadness well up within him.

“Goodbye, my friend.”

And then Naruto was gone.

Kurama stood slowly and tuned in to what was going on outside. Naruto was saying goodbye to his children. Then he was being escorted to a place far removed from Konoha—Naruto’s idea, because Kurama had been made whole at the end of the war, and there was no telling what kind of damage his unleashing would cause.

Naruto ordered the ANBU away for their safety, but Kurama could also sense it was for Kurama’s sake. The distance the ANBU would have to travel not to get caught up in any backlash wouldn’t allow them to get back in any kind of time to try to capture him.

Kurama smiled sharply. So maybe the brat wasn’t so naïve after all.

He watched as Naruto lifted up his shirt and gathered chakra at his fingertips on his right hand. Then he placed them against the seal and turned his wrist. Kurama felt a slight pulling sensation that grew in intensity. It wasn’t painful, but it was insistent, and he could feel his consciousness slipping away.

~*~

When he came to, he saw that the clearing had indeed been damaged by his unleashed chakra, a large diameter of burnt trees and crushed rocks. But with his chakra intact, he had doubled in size, so he towered above everything. He could see Konoha in the distance.

Suddenly remembering Naruto, Kurama looked down and found him laid out on the ground, his white coat singed, but him otherwise unharmed. Worried at how Naruto was unmoving, Kurama lowered himself to the ground and nuzzled Naruto in the side.

“I’m okay,” Naruto said weakly as he raised a hand to pet at Kurama’s muzzle.

Kurama was surprised Naruto had survived the extraction, but maybe he shouldn’t have been. Naruto always had had more chakra than most, and that wasn’t even counting Kurama’s immense chakra.

“Hey, now, I’ve got a lot going for me! I have a lot of chakra, I’m of the Uzumaki clan, and I’m the number one most surprising ninja, right?” Naruto said, as if he’d read Kurama’s thoughts.

Then Naruto’s hand moved to Kurama’s paw, and Kurama felt the brat’s chakra flowing into him. His reverse seal appeared on Kurama’s paw.

“I wouldn’t forget about you. If you were sealed, my promise to the others would be meaningless.” Naruto smiled at him. “And I would never be able to rest in peace if I died knowing you were in danger.”

Placing the seal had taken the last of Naruto’s chakra, and Kurama watched as his eyes dimmed and his hand fell to the ground. Kurama didn’t know how long it would take for the ANBU to return, and though he had no fear of them, he didn’t want to be here when they returned all the same.

He gently placed his paw on top of Naruto’s body. Naruto had said that he wasn’t sure whether he would be reincarnated or not, but Kurama had faith. A soul like Naruto’s would never disappear from this world. Kurama would just wait for the day that a little boy or girl with a generous smile and the warmest chakra would appear before him, and he’d be sure to ask the brat’s name.

In the meantime, thanks to Naruto, Kurama was finally free. He removed his paw and stood to his feet.

And then Kurama was gone.


End file.
